Dr. Miyabe Shields and Dr. Riley Kirk: Leaders in Cannabis and Natural Products Research Dr. Miyabe Shields and Dr. Riley Kirk, co-founders of the nonprofit organization The Network of Applied Pharmacognosy (NAP), are at the forefront of research and education in cannabis science and natural products. Through their work, NAP conducts national and international studies exploring diverse topics such as cannabis consumption patterns, consumer trends, emerging products, vape and lab testing, and...

🌱 The Science and Magic of Sungrown Cannabis | Bioactive Podcast 🌱 Join Dr. Riley Kirk and an inspiring panel of experts — Tina Gordon, Lindsay MaHarry, Colleen King, and Christina Wong — as they dive deep into the unique qualities of sungrown cannabis! Recorded after their 2024 Emerald Cup panel discussion, this episode explores the unparalleled benefits of cultivating cannabis in natural sunlight and the artistry behind it. 🌿 In This Episode: What Makes Sungrown Cannabis Unique: Discover...

How Consumption Methods Affect Cannabis Chemistry | Dr. Riley Kirk | Bioactive Podcast In this episode of the Bioactive Podcast, Dr. Riley Kirk breaks down how cannabis consumption methods—whether smoking, vaping, or edibles—can impact the chemistry and effects you experience. We often focus on strain-specific effects to curate our cannabis experience, but your method of consumption also plays a key role. Different methods produce unique combinations of compounds, changing how you...

In this episode of the Bioactive Podcast, we dive deep into a lesser-known but serious condition known as Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome (CHS). Join host Dr. Riley Kirk and guests Dr. Codi Peterson and Megan Mbengue as they explore the paradox of CHS, where in some rare cases, regular cannabis use leads to severe nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain, despite cannabis being commonly used for its anti-nausea properties. We discuss the symptoms, the prodrome phase, and the potential genetic...

In this video, Riley interviews Jini Glaros, the Chief Science Officer (CSO) at Modern Canna, about groundbreaking research on the relationship between water activity and moisture content in cannabis. Whether you're part of an MSO, a home grower, or just passionate about cannabis science, understanding how these factors influence product quality, shelf life, and data accuracy is essential. Watch as Jini shares key insights from her experiments and discusses how this information can help...

Dr. Riley Kirk is joined by Jason Wilson, MS on this episode of Bioactive. The two share many interests in self-exploration of the brain with drugs, navigating their own paths in the cannabis industry, thoughts on open access science, and more. Jason is a neurodivergent scientist and excellent science communicator. He is the host of the podcast Isn’t Life Curious which is the new name after years of being the Curious about Cannabis Podcast. Jason is passionate about providing accessible...

Riley sits down for the second time with reserach scientist Twinkle Paryani from Abstrax Tech. Twinkle recently wrote a paper titled "Nonterpenoid Chemical Diversity of Cannabis Phenotypes Predicts Differentiated Aroma Characteristics" and can be found (open-access) at https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/acsomega.4c03225 This paper dives into the chemistry of smell, and when cannabis breeders are breeding for unique aroma, how they should be evaluating the final product. We often attribute...

On this week’s episode, Dr. Riley Kirk discusses microbial testing for cannabis products in the legal industry. This is a different conversation than living soil which will be a future topic. Riley chat with microbiologist and medical patient Morgan Boyle about what tests are being done, what species are being tested for and how these guidelines are determined. NJ Homegrow initiative: https://www.njhomegrow.com/ Follow or subscribe wherever you get your...

In this episode Dr. Riley Kirk interviews researcher Dr. Whitney Ogle about using cannabis for exercise, Dr. Ogle is passionate about this subject because she has found the benefits of medicating before runs, hikes and other forms of exercise and believes it can be a tool to a healthier lifestyle. Dr. Kirk and Dr. Ogle talk about what reserach that is currently happening, how both of them personally integrate cannabis and exercise, navigating difficult conversations, the role of CBD and...

On this week’s episode, Dr. Riley Kirk discusses illegal pesticides found in legal California cannabis products with Alex Halperin, the founder of WeedWeek and one of the main reporters on this topic. They review what pesticides were found, how this investigation started, and how the industry can improve these findings. This article is very important for medical users to be aware of and is unfortunately another reason why we need to have the right to homegrow. Most labs when analyzing...

Dr. Riley Kirk here letting you know that I'm taking a quick focus break to hit some deadlines for the book I'm writing, but I do have a few announcements! In the meantime, get caught up on any episodes you've missed, watch this new YouTube video I mentioned, or listen to the latest episode of the Spicy Fat podcast which is part of the Women in Media Network I'm joining. I speak to Dr. Carlen Costa (psychotherapist, clinical sexologist, psychedelic assisted psychotherapist, cannabis educator,...

Welcome back to another episode of #NAPTIME with Dr.Miyabe Shields and Dr. Riley Kirk (host of Bioactive). On these episodes the two stoner scientists recount cannabis industry events and discuss some of the relevant science. In these episodes we recount some of the events we attend in the cannabis industry and also talk about a lot of cannabis science. If you want to support NAP or learn more about the research we are conducting head to www.AppliedPharmacognosy.org. Mad love my friends!

In this week’s episode Dr. Riley Kirk and guest Tanya Funk dive in to the basics of providing nutrients to cannabis plants. This can look many ways depending on how you like to cultivate. The two discuss organic practices, organic gardening and what to look for to gauge your plants health. Tanya is co-owner of a nutrient company called Organitek who specializes in nutrients for plants. Check them out at www.organitek.com with some amazing resources on growing plants! Suggest guests for the...

Todays episode is all about oral health with the talented educator and communicator Stacy Bobak. Stacy is a Registered Dental Hygienist and Certified Cannabis Educator in Ontario, Canada. She is the creator and owner of CannaDent - a Cannabis education platform for Dental Professionals and works as a college professor, public speaker, and nonprofit founder.  She is a Breast Cancer survivor and a Medical Cannabis patient advocate and a soon to be a first-time Mom.   Learn more about Stacy on...

How do we standardize an industry that is known as the wild west? It's definitely difficult to implement standards in the cannabis industry but people like todays guest, Darwin Millard are working hard to ensure standards are in place to ensure quality and consistent products are on the legal market. Standards are created to ensure that when you purchase a product there is no mold, pesticides, residual solvent and more. This topic is a little heavy, but very important for any consumer or...

The Network of Applied Pharmacognosy is a reserach non-profit formed by Dr. Miyabe Shields and Dr. Riley Kirk. The goal of the nonprofit is to provide a more nuanced and holistic view of cannabis as medicine and emphazie community data and engagement. On this #NAPTIME Riley and Miyabe head to Nova Scotia, Canada for two speaking events: one geared towards industry professionals and another towards consumers. The two talk about what they discussed during these events as well as shenanigans...

Kimberly Hooks, CEO of Frenchy Cannoli Brand and Kevin McGovern owner of First Harvest Hemp join Riley to talk about the history of hashish and the process of making quality product. Kimberly carries on the legacy of her late husband Frenchy Cannoli, a notorious hash maker by sharing workshops across the world. Kimberly and Cherryblossom Belle (Frenchy's apprentice) will be teaching a workshop on Saturday April 6th in Westboro, MA. Join Riley and the Hash making legends for an unforgettable...

Where does cannabis play a role in end-of-life care? Today Riley speaks with Dr. Rasean Hodge, MD. Dr. Hodge has worked with a large diversity of patients and is an open consumer of cannabis products. He has suffered from chronic pain and opiate addiction and helps patients learn from professional and lived experience. We talk about the role of cannabis in end-of-life care, and also answer questions from my good friend who is a nurse in a hospice unit and submitted questions from her and the...

If there's two things Jake and I love talking about its moose and chaga! This episode we finally dive deep into both subjects. Jake talks about his graduate research with moose in Vermont; radio-collaring our of helicopters, counting ticks, and what to do about the diminishing population in New England. Then I dive into some of the reserach i've conducted with chaga and how to get the most out of this medicinal fungus. Don't miss the big announcement at the 1 hour mark of this episode (no it...

The Science of Smokeability is a collaboration study between Dr. Allison Justice & Ashley Manning from the Cannabis Research Coalition Dr. Miyabe Shields & Dr. Riley Kirk from The Network of Applied Pharmacognosy & Dr. Markus Roggen from Controlled Chemistry The team aims to quantify both the subjective and objective experiences of cannabis smoking using consumer surveys and chemical data. Sign up for Phase 2 of...

The THCA market is taking the US by storm, but what is it? and how is it legal? Todays guest is Liz Peterson who is the head of operations at Canvast Supply Co. in Nashville, TN and also has a background in organic chemistry. Liz works in the THCA market and knows the ins and outs of the cultivation, marketing, manufacturing, and distribution of THCA products. I believe that THCA products should continue to be available but we should be testing these products before they reach consumer...

This episode is funded by our cannabis reserach and education non-profit called the Network of Applied Pharmacognosy (NAP). If you want to learn more about NAP or donate check out our website with new rebranding (thanks to Rachel Colic): https://www.appliedpharmacognosy.org/ Thank you to the patrons of this episode, you can join the community for as little as $1/month Thank you to our amazing sponsors who are so compatible with each other: DynaVap is a dry herb manual vaporizer: CBG Gurus...

Dr. Jonathan Fields discusses the connection of cannabis and metabolism. He recently authored a paper in AJEM (American Journal of Endocannabinoid Medicine) discussing the wide range of metabolic effects from cannabis. Nothing in this podcast is medical advice. Join the Bioactive Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cannabichem The science behind the...

Karen O'Keefe is a lawyer and an advocate for cannabis. Karen works for the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) that aims to change laws across the US associated with Cannabis. Karen has actively been involved in many states journey to legalization. Advocacy work is often donated time, and I want to thank everyone who has contributed their time to the effort of accessible medicine. Join the Bioactive Patreon :) https://www.patreon.com/cannabichem MPP website: https://www.mpp.org/ Youtube...